Ska is Not Dead

Hey KJHK listeners! My name is Katie, and I am bravely going where no DJ has gone before (at least in a while) and hosting Ska Is Not Dead on KJHK Wednesday nights 8-10pm. I have been an avid lover of ska music since 7th grade. I remember the exact moment when I first heard “Sell Out” by Reel Big Fish, and instantly became SKA’d for life. I was in Mrs. O’Donnell’s band class putting my saxophone away. At the end of the hour, a trumpet player begged our teacher to let him play a CD over the band room’s PA system. The CD was none other then Reel Big Fish’s Turn the Radio Off. When the music started playing over those band room speakers, I remember thinking to myself, “This is what I’ve been looking for.” I was immediately hooked. I couldn’t get enough of it!

Over the years, my passion for ska grew. My passion even led me to create one embarrassing email address, that I thought was just oh so cool at the time I created it in 8th grade. However, I will never tell you what this email address is. Too embarrassing. (Ok, ok! If you really must know, it was skankinskakid241@yahoo.com. Good luck getting a job with that on your resume).

Some people say that ska is dead. It is definitely not dead, but it is tragically underrated! In my experience, people sometimes brush it off as a thing of the past, a fad left over from the 90s.This couldn’t be more wrong! Ska was around way before the 90s and still continues to thrive today, especially in communities on the East Coast, and Orange County, California.

There are countless ska bands contributing to today’s music. Big D & the Ki’s Table just released 2 new albums. Reel Big Fish is proving that they’ve still got it by releasing yet another album. Streetlight Manifesto released another emotionally charged album and are currently on tour. Ska artists are always extremely hard workers with a strong DIY attitude who will move mountains to get their music heard. They know that they have to fight this false idea that ska is dead. And that’s what I hope to do with this show. I want to show people that ska music is more then Goldfinger’s “Superman” and Mighty Mighty Bosstones’ “The Impression That I Get.” I want to share the sharp power that a horn line can bring to music, the explosive energy that can only be found at a ska concert.

Written by Katie Barrett. Ska is Not Dead airs Wednesday nights from 8-10pm. Tune in, turn it up, and let’s dance!